ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Aging can serve as an underlying mechanism of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Also, smoking, which is the most common cause of COPD, is responsible for the systemic manifestations of the disease, independently from the lung function alterations. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of aging on the occurrence of cigarette smoking induced COPD.@*METHODS@#For this analysis, we evaluated smoking status by a lifestyle intervention program and measured the occurrence of COPD by the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2005 to 2015.@*RESULTS@#Aging and smoking were significantly effected on the lung function of COPD patients. Especially, the smoking duration is exaggerated in the presence of old age for older COPD patients.@*CONCLUSION@#The result showed that COPD patients exhibit aging and smoking duration related severity. The prevalence of COPD kept increasing internationally. Knowing the risk factor of COPD quantitatively and finding out the interaction among risk factors could be valuable predictors for preventing COPD.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Reducing the gaps in health inequality at a regional level and improving health equity have been emphasized in Korea, it is essential to accurately measure the burden of disease by region. This study aimed to estimate years of life lost (YLLs) in 17 Si and Do of Korea from 1997 to 2015 and determine the trends of regional differences in health status and disease structure.@*METHODS@#YLL was calculated by subtracting the age at death from the life expectancy. Data on the region, gender, and age-stratified cause-specific death were obtained from the Korean Statistical Information Service of Statistics Korea.@*RESULTS@#Age-standardized YLLs per 100,000 population decreased by year in all regions from 1997 to 2015 by 27.4% (27.5% for men; 27.2% for women). Despite the decline in YLLs, the regions with the highest and lowest YLLs did not change between 1997 and 2015. The diseases showing regional differences were caused by injury, often classified as avoidable mortality. We also confirmed that YLLs were higher in the regions with a higher deprivation index.@*CONCLUSION@#The present study identified that YLLs differed by regions in Korea with specific causes. The findings of this study can be used by decision-makers to prioritize the reduction of regional gaps in premature deaths.